Image pickup apparatus

ABSTRACT

An image pickup apparatus includes an imaging optical system; a display unit; a detecting unit performing focus detection in phase difference detection; a focusing unit performing focus control of a lens in the imaging optical system on the basis of the focus detection result; an imaging unit generating an image signal concerning an optical image of a subject; an electronic zoom unit zooming in or out the image of the subject displayed in the display unit on the basis of the image signal by performing signal processing; and a switching unit switching between an electronic zoom active state and an electronic zoom inactive state. The detecting unit includes a sensor unit including a first licensor and a second licensor; a setting unit that sets detection sections having the same section length in the first and second licensors; a focus detecting unit; and a section length controlling unit.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.12/286,771, filed Oct. 2, 2008, which claims priority from JapanesePatent Application No. JP 2007-261868 filed in the Japanese PatentOffice on Oct. 5, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a technology for an image pickupapparatus capable of focus detection in phase difference detection.

2. Description of the Related Art

Single-lens reflex digital cameras in related art were generally unableto perform live view display (preview display) in which subjects aredisplayed on monitors in motion picture modes before actual imagecapturing and no single-lens reflex digital camera had an electroniczoom function. However, single-lens reflex digital cameras having thelive view function have been supposed in recent years and the necessityof the electronic zoom function is gradually increased.

Meanwhile, compact digital cameras capable of cutting out part of imagescaptured by image pickup devices to realize the electronic zoom functionhave been manufactured (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 2001-208961).

The digital camera disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2001-208961 performs focus detection in contrastdetection (contrast automatic focusing (contrast AF)) by using only afocus detection area (AF area) within a cutout range of a captured imageset in the electronic zoom, among five focus detection areas arranged inan image pickup screen, to realize appropriate focus detection in theelectronic zoom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, since a process of improving the accuracy of the focusdetection is not specially performed in the focus detection area withinthe cutout range in the digital camera (image pickup apparatus)disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2001-208961, out-of focus can be highly visible in an image that iszoomed in (of which the zoom state is varied) by the electronic zoom.When the focus detection in each focus detection area is unable to beaccurately performed (for example, when an image of a subject whosebrightness is slightly varied in the focus detection area is captured),a user visually recognizes defocusing to be aware of out-of focus in animage that is magnified by the electronic zoom even if the out-of focusis not detected in the normal live view display. In such a case, forexample, restriction of the focus detection area to an area where thebrightness of the subject is varied allows the accuracy of the focusdetection to be improved. As a result, the out-of focus is madeinvisible even in the magnified image and appropriate focus detectioncan possibly be performed.

A technology of varying the size of each focus detection area orshifting the position thereof depending on the cutout range is shown in,for example, FIGS. 12 and 13 in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2001-208961. However, such variation or shift can beperformed because each focus detection area is set as the focusdetection area for the contrast AF. Accordingly, it is difficult toapply the technology in a phase difference AF module in which theposition of each focus detection area is fixed with respect to the imagepickup screen to perform focus detection in phase difference detection(phase difference AF).

In addition, when the zoom magnification concerning optical zoom isdecreased, the possibility in which both a near-side subject (near-sidesubjects), such as a person (persons), and a far-side subject (far-sidesubjects), such as a mountain (mountains), exist in the focus detectionarea is increased. Such a situation is called mixture of near and farsubjects. Since it is difficult to separate the near-side subject fromthe far-side subject in the focus detection area where the mixture ofnear and far subjects occurs to perform the focus detection, it isdifficult to focus, for example, only on the near-side subject. When thedecrease in the zoom magnification (a variation in the zoom state)occurs, the restriction of the focus detection area to a range in whichthe near-side subject exists, as in the electronic zoom, allows thefocus detection to be performed only for the near-side subject and theappropriate focus detection can possibly be performed.

It is desirable to provide an image pickup apparatus capable ofperforming the appropriate focus detection in the phase differencedetection depending on the zoom state concerning a subject.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image pickupapparatus includes an imaging optical system; a display unit; detectingmeans for performing focus detection in phase difference detection;focusing means for performing focus control of a lens in the imagingoptical system on the basis of the result of the focus detection by thedetecting means; imaging means capable of generating an image signalconcerning an optical image of a subject, received through the imagingoptical system in which the focus control of the lens is performed;electronic zoom means for zooming in or out the image of the subjectdisplayed in the display unit on the basis of the image signal generatedby the imaging means by performing signal processing to the imagesignal; and switching means for switching between an electronic zoomactive state in which the electronic zoom means is activated and anelectronic zoom inactive state in which the electronic zoom means isinactivated. The detecting means includes a sensor unit including afirst licensor and a second licensor in which pixels are arranged;setting means for setting detection sections having the same sectionlength in the first licensor and the second licensor; focus detectingmeans for performing the focus detection in the phase differencedetection on the basis of an optical image of the subject detected ineach detection section set in the first licensor and the secondlicensor; and section length controlling means for making the sectionlength of the detection section in the electronic zoom active stateshorter than that of the detection section in the electronic zoominactive state.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an imagepickup apparatus includes an imaging optical system capable of varying azoom magnification concerning optical zoom; detecting means forperforming focus detection in phase difference detection; focusing meansfor performing focus control of a lens in the imaging optical system onthe basis of the result of the focus detection by the detecting means;and imaging means capable of generating an image signal concerning anoptical image of a subject, received through the imaging optical systemin which the focus control of the lens is performed. The detecting meansincludes a sensor unit including a first licensor and a second licensorin which pixels are arranged; setting means for setting detectionsections having the same section length in the first licensor and thesecond licensor; focus detecting means for performing the focusdetection in the phase difference detection on the basis of an opticalimage of the subject detected in each detection section set in the firstlicensor and the second licensor; and section length controlling meansfor decreasing the section length of the detection section in accordancewith a decrease in the zoom magnification.

According to the present invention, when the detection sections havingthe same section length are set in the first and second licensors andthe focus detection in the phase difference detection is performed onthe basis of an optical image of the subject detected in each detectionsection set in the first and second licensors, the section length of thedetection section in the electronic zoom active state is made shorterthan that in the electronic zoom inactive state. As a result, any out-offocus is made invisible even in an image that is zoomed in by theelectronic zoom and the appropriate focus detection can be performed.

According to the present invention, when the detection sections havingthe same section length are set in the first and second licensors andthe focus detection in the phase difference detection is performed onthe basis of an optical image of the subject detected in each detectionsection set in the first and second licensors, the section length of thedetection section is decreased in accordance with a decrease in the zoommagnification concerning the optical zoom. As a result, the focusdetection can be performed only for, for example, the near-side subjecteven if the mixture of near and far subjects occurs due to the decreasein the zoom magnification to perform the appropriate focus detection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external front view of an image pickup apparatus accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an external rear view of the image pickup apparatus accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of the image pickup apparatus according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatusaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for description of the principle of focus detectionin phase difference detection in a phase difference AF module in theimage pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for description of control of the phase differenceAF module in the image pickup apparatus according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for description of the control of the phasedifference AF module in the image pickup apparatus according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic operation of theimage pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram for description of an example concerning setting ofan electronic zoom magnification;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an exemplary operation in accordance withan “ON” state and an “OFF” state of electronic zoom;

FIG. 11 is a diagram for description of mixture of near and farsubjects;

FIG. 12 is another diagram for description of the mixture of near andfar subjects;

FIG. 13 is another diagram for description of the mixture of near andfar subjects;

FIG. 14 is a diagram for description of control of a phase difference AFmodule in an image pickup apparatus according to a second embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams for description of the control of thephase difference AF module in the image pickup apparatus according tothe second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic operation of theimage pickup apparatus according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an image pickup apparatusaccording to a modification of the present invention;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are vertical cross-sectional views of an image pickupapparatus according to another modification of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of the image pickup apparatuses according to themodifications of the present invention; and

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of an image pickup apparatus according to anothermodification of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

FIGS. 1 and 2 show examples of external configurations of an imagepickup apparatus 1A according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 1 is an external front view of the image pickupapparatus 1A. FIG. 2 is an external rear view of the image pickupapparatus 1A. The image pickup apparatus 1A is a single-lens reflexdigital camera with an interchangeable lens.

Referring to FIG. 1, the image pickup apparatus 1A has a camera body 2.An interchangeable lens 3, which is an interchangeable lens unit, isremovably mounted to the camera body 2.

The interchangeable lens 3 mainly includes a lens barrel 36, a lensgroup 37 (refer to FIG. 3), and an aperture. The lens group 37 and theaperture are provided in the lens barrel 36. The lens group 37 (imagingoptical system) includes a focus lens that is capable, of varying thezoom magnification concerning optical zoom and that moves in thedirection of the optical axis to shift the focus position.

The camera body 2 has an annular mount unit Mt in a substantial centralportion of the front face. The interchangeable lens 3 is mounted to themount unit Mt. The camera body 2 also has a release button 89 used toremove the interchangeable lens 3 near the annular mount unit Mt.

The camera body 2 further has a mode setting dial 82 in an upper leftportion of the front face and a control-value setting dial 86 in anupper right portion of the front face. A photographer can operate themode setting dial 82 to set various modes of the camera (to performswitching between the various modes). The various modes include variousimage capturing modes (a person-image capturing mode, a landscape-imagecapturing mode, a full automatic image capturing mode, etc.), a playbackmode in which a captured image is played back, and a communication modein which data exchange with an external apparatus is performed. Thephotographer can operate the control-value setting dial 86 to setcontrol values in the various image capturing modes.

The camera body 2 further has a grip unit 14 gripped by the photographerat the left end of the front face. A shutter release button 11 isprovided on the top face of the grip unit 14. The shutter release button11 is used by the photographer to instruct start of exposure. The gripunit 14 contains a battery storage box and a card storage slot. Forexample, an electric cell serving as the power supply of the camera isstored in the battery storage box. A memory card in which image dataabout captured images is recorded is removably stored in the cardstorage slot.

The shutter release button 11 is a two-stage detection button capable ofdetecting two states: a half-press state (S1 state) and a full-pressstate (S2 state). When the shutter release button 11 is half-pressed tobe in the S1 state, the image pickup apparatus 1A performs preparationoperations (for example, an AF control operation and an automaticexposure (AE) control operation) for acquiring a still image to berecorded (an image to be actually captured) of a subject. When theshutter release button 11 is further pressed to be in the S2 state, theimage pickup apparatus 1A performs an image capturing operation of theimage to be actually captured. Specifically, the image pickup apparatus1A performs a series of operations including an exposure operationconcerning an image of the subject (an optical image of the subject)with an image pickup device 5 described below and predetermined imageprocessing for an image signal resulting from the exposure operation.

Referring to FIG. 2, a finder window (eyepiece window) 10 is provided ata substantial center of an upper area on the rear face of the camerabody 2. The photographer can peep through the finder window 10 tovisually recognize the optical image of the subject supplied from theinterchangeable lens 3 and to determine the composition. In other words,the photographer can perform a composition determining operation byusing an optical finder through which the optical image of the subjectpassing through the lens group 37 (refer to FIG. 3) is supplied to thefinder window 10 (the composition determining operation will bedescribed in detail below).

A detecting unit 15 including a light emitting device 151 emitting aninfrared light and a light receiving device 152 is provided under thefinder window 10. If the infrared light emitted from the light emittingdevice 151 is reflected from an eye of the photographer and thereflected light is detected by the light receiving device 152, thenearness of the eye of the photographer to the finder window 10 can bedetected by the light emitting device 151 (detection of the nearness ofan eye of the photographer).

Referring to FIG. 2, a liquid crystal monitor 12 is provided in asubstantial central portion on the rear face of the camera body 2. Theliquid crystal monitor 12 functions as a display device composed of, forexample, a color liquid crystal display (LCD) and is capable ofswitching between a display ON state (display state) and a display OFFstate (non-display state). A menu screen used for setting imagecapturing conditions can be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12or a captured image recorded in the memory card can be played back anddisplayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 in a playback mode. Inaddition, the live view display based on multiple time-series images(that is, a motion picture) captured by an image pickup device 7described below can be performed on the liquid crystal monitor 12.

A main switch 81 is provided in an upper left portion with respect tothe liquid crystal monitor 12. The main switch 81 is composed of a slideswitch having two contacts. The image pickup apparatus 1A is turned offwhen the contact of the main switch 81 is set to an “OFF” position atthe left side and the image pickup apparatus 1A is turned on when thecontact of the main switch 81 is set an “ON” position at the right side.

A setting button group 83 including multiple buttons used for setting ofthe menu screen or deleting an image is provided on the left side of theliquid crystal monitor 12.

A direction selection key 84 is provided on the right side of the liquidcrystal monitor 12. The direction selection key 84 has a circularoperation button. Press operations in four directions including upward,downward, leftward, and rightward directions with the operation buttonand press operations in four directions including upper right, upperleft, lower right, and lower left directions with the operation buttonare detected. In addition to the press operations in the eightdirections, a press operation with a push button at the center of thedirection selection key 84 can be detected.

The image pickup apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment can usea live view image (preview image) before the actual image capturingdisplayed in the liquid crystal monitor 12 to determine the composition(described in detail below).

A display selection switch 85 composed of a slide switch having threecontacts is provided in a lower right portion with respect to thedirection selection key 84. The photographer can use the displayselection switch 85 to switch between the composition determination bythe live view display (with an electronic finder) and the compositiondetermination with the optical finder. Specifically, the compositiondetermination with the optical finder is selected when the contact ofthe display selection switch 85 is set to an upper “Optical” positionand the composition determination by the live view display (with theelectronic finder) with the liquid crystal monitor 12 is selected whenthe contact of the display selection switch 85 is set to a lower “liquidcrystal (LC)” position. When the contact of the display selection switch85 is set to a central “Auto” position, the switching between thecomposition determination with the optical finder and the compositiondetermination with the electronic finder is automatically performeddepending on whether the nearness of an eye of the photographer isdetected by the detecting unit 15.

The image pickup apparatus 1A has an electronic zoom function of zoomingin or out an image of the subject displayed on the liquid crystalmonitor 12 by performing signal processing to an image signal generatedby the image pickup device 7 (refer to FIG. 4), specifically, by cuttingout part of a captured image when the composition determination with theelectronic finder is selected to perform the live view display. In theelectronic zoom, zoom-in is performed in response to a press operationof a zoom-in button 21 provided in an upper right portion on the rearface of the image pickup apparatus 1A and zoom-out is performed inresponse to a press operation of a zoom-out button 22 provided in anupper right portion on the rear face of the image pickup apparatus 1A.Specifically, the image of the subject is magnified at a certain zoommagnification (for example, 0.2) each time the zoom-in button 21 ispressed, and the image of the subject is reduced in size at a certainzoom magnification (for example, 0.2) each time the zoom-out button 22is pressed. The image of the subject can be reduced in size with thezoom-out button 22 from the state in which the electronic zoom is activeto the magnification of the normal live view display, that is, to 1×magnification at which the electronic zoom is not performed. Switchingbetween an electronic zoom active state in which the electronic zoomfunction is activated and an electronic zoom inactive state in which theelectronic zoom function is inactivated can be performed with thezoom-in button 21 and the zoom-out button 22.

An outline of the functional configuration of the image pickup apparatus1A according to the first embodiment will now be described withreference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of thefunctional configuration of the image pickup apparatus 1A according tothe first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the image pickup apparatus 1A includes an operationunit 80, a controlling unit 101A, a signal processor 52, and so on.

The operation unit 80 includes various buttons including the shutterrelease button 11 (refer to FIG. 1) and switches. The controlling unit101A realizes various operations in response to input operations of thephotographer with the operation unit 80.

The controlling unit 101A is composed of a microcomputer and mainlyincludes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a read onlymemory (ROM). The controlling unit 101A is capable of acquiring dataindicating the position of, for example, the focus lens, detected by alens position detector 39 in the interchangeable lens 3, through alens-side controller 31.

The controlling unit 101A reads out a program stored in the ROM andexecutes the program with the CPU to realize various functions. Forexample, the controlling unit 101A includes a phase difference AFcontroller 121, a determiner 123, and a drive controller 124 as thefunctional components.

The phase difference AF controller 121 controls a phase difference AFmodule 20 performing the focus detection in the phase differencedetection (hereinafter also referred to as “phase difference AF”) on thebasis of an optical image of the subject supplied from a mirrormechanism 6 (described below). The determiner 123 determines the focusstate of the subject on the basis of a signal output from the phasedifference AF module 20 controlled by the phase difference AF controller121.

The drive controller 124 drives and controls a lens driver 38 includingan actuator via the lens-side controller 31 on the basis of thedetermination result in the determiner 123. As a result, focus controlof the focus lens in the interchangeable lens 3 is performed on thebasis of the result of the focus detection in the phase difference AFmodule 20. The image pickup device 5 and the image pickup device 7 canreceive an optical image of the subject through the interchangeable lens3 where the focus control of the focus lens is performed in the abovemanner to acquire the in-focus captured image.

Furthermore, the controlling unit 101A controls state switching betweena state in which the mirror mechanism 6 is withdrawn from the opticalpath (a mirror-up state) and a state in which the mirror mechanism 6blocks the optical path (a mirror-down state) and controls opening andclosing of a shutter 4.

The image pickup device 5 is, for example, a complementary metal oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The image pickup device 5 converts anoptical image of the subject into an electrical signal by photoelectricconversion to generate an image signal concerning the image to beactually captured (an image signal to be recorded). The image pickupdevice 5 serves as an image pickup device for acquiring an image to berecorded.

The image pickup device 5 performs the exposure (charge storage by thephotoelectric conversion) to an image of the subject focused on thelight receiving plane in response to drive control signals (a storagestart signal and a storage end signal) supplied from the controllingunit 101A to generate an image signal concerning the image of thesubject. The image pickup device 5 supplies the image signal to ananalog-to-digital converter 51 in response to a readout control signalsupplied from the controlling unit 101A.

The image signal acquired by the image pickup device 5 is converted intodigital image data (image data) in the analog-to-digital converter 51.This image data is supplied to the signal processor 52.

The signal processor 52 performs digital signal processing to the imagedata supplied from the analog-to-digital converter 51 to generate imagedata concerning the captured image. The signal processor 52 performsimage processing. For example, the signal processor 52 corrects theblack level of each pixel data composing the image data supplied fromthe analog-to-digital converter 51 to a reference black level or adjuststhe white balance of the image.

The image data subjected to digital signal processing in the signalprocessor 52 can be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 throughthe controlling unit 101A. The image display includes confirmationdisplay (after view) for confirming the captured image or playbackdisplay in which the captured image is played back.

The image pickup apparatus 1A also includes the image pickup device 7(refer to FIG. 4), in addition to the image pickup device 5. The imagepickup device 7 serves as an image pickup device for acquiring a liveview image (for the electronic finder). Specifically, the image pickupdevice 7 generates an image signal concerning an optical image of thesubject reflected from a primary mirror 61 (refer to FIG. 4) through thelens group 37. The live view display (the preview display before theactual image capturing) based on the image signals of the subjectsequentially generated by the image pickup device 7 is performed on theliquid crystal monitor 12 to realize the electronic finder function inthe image pickup apparatus 1A.

The image pickup device 7 has a configuration similar to that of theimage pickup device 5. However, the image pickup device 7 is normallycomposed of pixels of a number smaller than the number of pixels of theimage pickup device 5 because it is sufficient for the image pickupdevice to have a resolution at which the image signals (motion picture)for the live view display can be generated.

Signal processing similar to that performed to the image signal acquiredby the image pickup device 5 is performed also to the image signalacquired by the image pickup device 7. Specifically, the image signalacquired by the image pickup device 7 is converted into digital data inthe analog-to-digital converter 51 and is subjected to digital signalprocessing in the signal processor 52.

The controlling unit 101A displays an image based on the time-seriesimage data acquired by the image pickup device 7 on the liquid crystalmonitor 12. This realizes the display in the motion picture mode (thelive view display) for determining the composition.

The composition determining operation (framing operation) in the imagepickup apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment will now bedescribed. As described above, the image pickup apparatus 1A is capableof determining the composition (framing) by using the optical finder(also called an optical viewfinder (OVF)) composed of the finder opticalsystem etc. and is also capable of determining the composition by usinga live view image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 (thecomposition determination with the electronic finder).

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus1A.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mirror mechanism 6 is provided on the opticalpath (image-capturing optical path) from the interchangeable lens 3 tothe image pickup device 5. The mirror mechanism 6 includes the primarymirror 61 (primary reflection plane) reflecting a light from the imagingoptical system upward. All or art of the primary mirror 61 is composedof, for example, a half mirror, through which part of the light from theimaging optical system is transmitted. The mirror mechanism 6 alsoincludes a sub-mirror 62 (secondary reflection plane) reflecting thelight transmitted through the primary mirror 61 downward. The lightreflected downward by the sub-mirror 62 is incident on the phasedifference AF module 20 to be used for the phase difference AFoperation. Before the shutter release button 11 is in the full-pressstate (S2 state) in the image capturing mode, that is, in thecomposition determination, the mirror mechanism 6 is arranged so as tobe in the mirror-down state (the state shown in FIG. 4). In this state,an image of the subject from the interchangeable lens 3 is reflectedupward by the primary mirror 61 and is incident on a pentamirror 65 as alight flux for observation. The pentamirror 65 includes multiple mirrors(reflection planes) and has a function of adjusting the direction of theimage of the subject.

When the shutter release button 11 is in the full-press state (S2state), the mirror mechanism 6 is driven so as to be in the mirror-upstate and the exposure operation is started. The operation for acquiringa still image to be recorded (also referred to as “an image to beactually captured”) concerning the subject, that is, the operation forthe exposure is common to the composition determination methods by usingthe optical finder and the electronic finder. The operations performedin the composition determination methods by using the optical finder andthe electronic finder will now be described.

First, the operation for the composition determination by using theoptical finder will now be described.

As shown in the example in FIG. 4, when the primary mirror 61 and thesub-mirror 62 in the mirror mechanism 6 are arranged on the optical pathof an image of the subject from the interchangeable lens 3, the image ofthe subject is led to the finder window 10 through the primary mirror61, the pentamirror 65, a half mirror 69, and an eyepiece 67.

Specifically, a light from the interchangeable lens 3 is reflected fromthe primary mirror 61 to change the course of the light to an upwarddirection, is focused on a focusing plate 63, and passes through thefocusing plate 63. After the course of the light passing through thefocusing plate 63 is changed by the pentamirror 65, the light istransmitted through the half mirror 69 and is led to the finder window10 through the eyepiece 67. The image of the subject passing through thefinder window 10 reaches an eye of the photographer (the observer) whovisually recognizes the image of the subject. In other words, thephotographer can confirm the image of the subject by peeping through thefinder window 10.

The pentamirror 65 includes two mirrors (penta-dach mirrors) 65 a and 65b formed in a delta roof, a plane 65 c fixed to the penta-dach mirrors(dach planes) 65 a and 65 b, and another mirror (reflection plane) 65 e.The delta-roof penta-dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b are formed as anintegrated part 65 d by plastic molding. The light reflected by theprimary mirror 61 to change the course of the light to the upwarddirection is reflected by the penta-dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b tolaterally invert the courses of the reflected light components. Thelight components are further reflected by the mirror 65 e to verticallyinvert the courses of the reflected light components and the lightcomponents whose courses are vertically inverted reaches an eye of thephotographer. The optical image laterally and vertically inverted by theinterchangeable lens 3 is further laterally and vertically inverted bythe pentamirror 65 in the above manner. As a result, the photographercan observe the image of the subject in the state in which the lateraland vertical states of the image of the subject are the same as those ofthe actual subject in the optical finder.

Next, the operation for the composition determination by using theelectronic finder will now be described.

Also in this case, as shown in the example in FIG. 4, the primary mirror61 and the sub-mirror 62 in the mirror mechanism 6 are arranged on theoptical path of an image of the subject from the interchangeable lens 3.The light from the interchangeable lens 3 is reflected from the primarymirror 61 to change the course of the light to an upward direction, isfocused on the focusing plate 63, and passes through the focusing plate63. The course of the light passing through the focusing plate 63 ischanged by the pentamirror 65 and is led to the finder window 10.

However, in the composition determination by using the electronicfinder, the course of the light that has been changed by the pentamirror65 is changed to an upward direction by the half mirror 69 and isfocused again on the image capturing plane of the image pickup device 7.

The image pickup device 7 generates a live view image on the basis ofthe image of the subject that has been reflected by the half mirror 69and has reached the image pickup device 7. Specifically, the imagepickup device 7 receives the light flux (the light flux for observation)reflected by the primary mirror 61 and sequentially generates multipleimage signals at very short time intervals (for example, 1/60 seconds).The time-series image signals that are acquired are sequentiallydisplayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 (live view display). Thephotographer can visually recognize the motion picture (live viesimages) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 to determine thecomposition by using the motion picture. In the compositiondetermination by using the electronic finder, the photographer canoperate the zoom-in button 21 etc. described above to electronicallyzoom in or out the image of the subject displayed on the liquid Crystalmonitor 12.

In the composition determination by using the electronic finder and theoptical finder, the light transmitted through the primary mirror 61 isreflected by the sub-mirror 62, the course of the light is changed to adownward direction, and the light is incident on the phase difference AFmodule 20. The phase difference AF module 20, the controlling unit 101A,etc. use the light entering through the primary mirror 61 and thesub-mirror 62 to realize the AF operation. In the AF operation, thephase difference AF controller 121 in the controlling unit 101A controlsthe phase difference AF module 20 in accordance with the electronic zoommagnification. The control of the phase difference AF module 20 will bedescribed next.

The image pickup apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment isconfigured such that the accuracy of the focus detection (phasedifference AF) in the phase difference AF module 20 can be changeddepending on the electronic zoom magnification in the compositiondetermination by using the electronic finder, that is, in the live viewdisplay on the liquid crystal monitor 12. The change of the accuracy ofthe focus detection in the phase difference AF module 20 will now bedescribed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for description of the principle of the focusdetection in the phase difference detection in the phase difference AFmodule 20.

The phase difference AF module 20 includes a criterion part Pa and areference part Pb each serving as a licenser. Pixels Pxs in which chargeis stored in accordance with the amount of received light by thephotoelectric conversion are one-dimensionally and linearly arranged inthe criterion part Pa and the reference part Pb. Optical images Da andDb of two subjects, generated by a separator lens or the like providedin the phase difference AF module 20, are led to the criterion part Paand the reference part Pb.

In the phase difference AF module 20 having the above configuration, theamount of shift in the direction in which the pixels are arrangedbetween the optical image Da detected by the criterion part Pa and theoptical image Db detected by the reference part Pb can be detected toperform the focus detection in the phase difference detection.

In order to detect the amount of shift between the optical image Da andthe optical image Db, a detection section (detection block) Ea anddetection sections (detection blocks) Eb composed of the continuouspixels of the same number (15 pixels in the example in FIG. 5) are setin the criterion part Pa and the reference part Pb, respectively. Inaddition, it is necessary to perform correlation calculation based onthe luminance distribution of the optical image Da detected in thedetection section Ea set in the criterion part Pa and the luminancedistribution of the optical image Db detected in the set position ofeach detection section Eb set in the reference part Pb to determine theposition of the detection section Eb in the reference part Pb having thehighest correlation value (level of similarity). The detection sectionsEb are sequentially shifted by one pixel in the reference part Pb. Forexample, in the example in FIG. 5, a detection section Ebm shifted fromthe leftmost position by four pixels in the reference part Pb has thehighest correlation value.

When the focus detection in the phase difference detection is performedin the above manner on the basis of the optical images Da and Db of thesubject detected in each of the detection section Ea and the detectionsections Eb having the same section length, set in the criterion part Paand the reference part Pb, respectively, in the phase difference AFmodule 20, shortening the section length of the detection section Ea andthe detection sections Eb allows the accuracy of the focus detection tobe improved. For example, detection sections Ec and detection sectionsEd including the pixels of a number (five pixels in the example shown inFIG. 6) sufficient to cover characteristic portions Dcs where thedifference in luminance between the pixels is large in the luminancedistributions of the optical images Da and Db can be set in the opticalimage Da and the optical image Db as shown in FIG. 6 to perform the moreaccurate focus detection. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the luminancedistribution of the optical image Da detected while shifting thedetection section Ec in the criterion part Pa by one pixel can becompared with the luminance distribution of the optical image Dbdetected while shifting the detection section Ed in the criterion partPb by one pixel to detect that the highest correlation is found betweena detection section Ecm (the detection section shifted from the leftmostposition by five pixels) in the criterion part Pa, in which theluminance distribution of the characteristic portion Dc in the opticalimage Da is detected, and a detection section Edm (the detection sectionshifted from the leftmost position by nine pixels) in the reference partPb, in which the luminance distribution of the characteristic portion Dcin the optical image Db is detected. When the number of pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed is decreased, the count of shifts in thedetection sections Ec and Ed is preferably increased. This can detectthe optical images Da and Db across the pixel arrangement of thecriterion parts Pa and Pb even if the section length of the detectionsections Ec and Ed is shortened.

As described above, shortening the section length set in the criterionparts Pa and Pb allows the accuracy of the focus detection in the phasedifference AF module 20 to be improved.

When an image of the subject displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12is enlarged by the electronic zoom in the live view display, it is easyto determine the degree of in-focus in the image of the subject. Forexample, it is easy to visually recognize detailed parts of a subjectimage Gb (FIG. 7B) that is zoomed in by pressing the zoom-in button 21for a subject image Ga displayed on the liquid crystal monitor as shownin FIG. 7A. Accordingly, the photographer can aware of defocusing of thezoomed-in subject image Gb if out-of focus due to the phase differenceAF is detected in the subject image Gb. The photographer who hasrecognized such an out-of focus state can feel uneasy about the focuscontrol.

In order to resolve such a problem, in the image pickup apparatus 1Aaccording to the first embodiment, the number of pixels in the detectionsections Ec and Ed in the criterion parts Pa and Pb in the phasedifference AF module 20 is decreased in the above manner in thezooming-in of a live view image by the electronic zoom in order toimprove the accuracy of the focus detection in the phase difference AF.In other words, the section length of the detection section in theelectronic zoom active state is made shorter than that of the detectionsection in the electronic zoom inactive state to make the out-of focusin the zoomed-in subject image Gb invisible. Shortening the detectionsection corresponds to the fact that a focus detection area F in thephase difference AF module 20 set in the subject image Ga (FIG. 7A) inthe electronic zoom inactive state is not set to a focus detection areaFa having the length in proportion to the zoom magnification but is setto a focus detection area Fb (shaded area) having the length shorterthan that of the focus detection area Fa in the subject image Gb (FIG.7B) in the electronic zoom active state.

An exemplary specific operation of the image pickup apparatus 1A inwhich the phase difference AF module 20 is controlled in the abovemanner will now be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic operation of theimage pickup apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment. This basicoperation indicates an operation concerning the control of the phasedifference AF module 20 in accordance with the electronic zoom operationin the live view display and is performed by the controlling unit 101A.

Referring to FIG. 8, in Step ST1, the controlling unit 101A determineswhether the electronic zoom is in the active state. Specifically, thecontrolling unit 101A determines whether the zoom-in button 21 ispressed by the photographer in the live view display to zoom in an imageof a subject displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 by theelectronic zoom. If the electronic zoom is in the active state, theoperation proceeds to Step ST2. If the electronic zoom is in theinactive state, the operation proceeds to Step ST9.

In Strep ST2, the controlling unit 101A determines whether the zoommagnification concerning the electronic zoom is 1.5 or higher. If thezoom magnification is 1.5 or higher, the operation proceeds to Step ST3.If the zoom magnification is lower than 1.5, the operation proceeds toStep ST9. In Step ST3, the controlling unit 101A determines whether thezoom-in button 21 is pressed by the photographer. If the zoom-in button21 is pressed, the operation proceeds to Step ST4. If the zoom-in button21 is not pressed, the operation proceeds to Step ST5.

In Step ST4, the controlling unit 101A decreases the number of pixels inthe detection sections Ec and Ed (FIG. 6) set in the criterion parts Paand Pb, respectively, in the phase difference AF module 20. For example,the number of pixels is decremented by one each time the zoom-in button21 is pressed.

In addition, each time the number of pixels in the detection sections Ecand Ed is decremented by one in Step ST4, the count of shifts in thedetection sections Ec and Ed in the criterion parts Pa and Pb isincremented, for example, by one. In other words, the count of shifts inthe detection sections Ec and Ed in the electronic zoom active state isset to a value higher than that in the detection sections Ec and Ed inthe electronic zoom inactive state.

In Step ST5, the controlling unit 101A determines whether the zoom-outbutton 22 is pressed by the photographer. If the zoom-out button 22 ispressed, the operation proceeds to Step ST6. If the zoom-out button 22is not pressed, the operation proceeds to Step ST7.

In Step ST6, the controlling unit 101A increases the number of pixels inthe detection sections Ec and Ed (FIG. 6) set in the criterion parts Paand Pb, respectively, in the phase difference AF module 20. For example,the number of pixels is incremented by one each time the zoom-out button22 is pressed.

In addition, each time the number of pixels in the detection sections Ecand Ed is incremented by one in Step ST6, the count of shifts in thedetection sections Ec and Ed in the criterion parts Pa and Pb isdecremented, for example, by one.

In Step ST7, the controlling unit 101A determines whether the number ofpixels in the detection sections Ec and Ed decreased in Step ST4 orincreased in Step ST6 exceeds a lower or upper limit, respectively.Specifically, the controlling unit 101A determines whether the number ofpixels in the detection sections Ec and Ed decreased in Step ST4 islower than a predetermined lower limit Kmin or the number of pixels inthe detection sections Ec and Ed increased in Step ST6 is higher than apredetermined upper limit Kmax. If the number of pixels in the detectionsections Ec and Ed exceeds the lower limit Kmin or the upper limit Kmax,the operation proceeds to Step ST8. If the number of pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed does not exceed the lower limit Kmin or theupper limit Kmax, the operation proceeds to Step ST10.

In Step ST8, the controlling unit 101A restricts the number of pixels inthe detection sections Ec and Ed to the lower or upper limit.Specifically, the controlling unit 101A sets the number of pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed to the lower limit Kmin if the controllingunit 101A determines in Step ST7 that the number of the pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed is lower than the lower limit Kmin, and thecontrolling unit 101A sets the number of pixels in the detectionsections Ec and Ed to the upper limit Kmax if the controlling unit 101Adetermines in Step ST7 that the number of the pixels in the detectionsections Ec and Ed is higher than the upper limit Kmax.

In Step ST9, the controlling unit 101A sets the number of pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed to a standard value. For example, thecontrolling unit 101A sets the number of pixels in the detectionsections Ec and Ed to the number of pixels (for example, the upper limitKmax) when the 1× magnification live view display is performed in theelectronic zoom inactive state.

In Step ST10, the controlling unit 101A performs the correlationcalculation in the phase difference AF module 20 in the detectionsections Ec and Ed having the number of pixels set in Step ST4, ST6, orST9. For example, the controlling unit 101A performs the correlationcalculation based on the luminance distribution of the optical image Dadetected while shifting the detection section Ec in the criterion partPa by one pixel, in the manner shown FIG. 6, and the luminancedistribution of the optical image Db detected while shifting thedetection section Ed in the criterion part Pb by one pixel to determinethe detection section Edm in the reference part Pb, which has thehighest correlation value to the detection section Ecm in the criterionpart Pa. As a result, the difference in phase between the criterion partPa and the reference part Pb can be detected to appropriately performthe phase difference AF.

The image pickup apparatus 1A decreases the number of pixels in thedetection sections Ec and Ed set in the criterion parts Pa and Pb,respectively, in the phase difference AF module 20 in response to thezoom-in by the electronic zoom in the above manner, so that the accuracyof the focus detection in the phase difference AF is improved to makethe out-of focus in the zoomed-in subject image invisible. In otherwords, it is possible to perform the appropriate focus detection in thephase difference detection in accordance with the zoom state by theelectronic zoom.

The magnification of the electronic zoom may not necessarily be set withthe zoom-in button 21 and the zoom-out button 22 in the image pickupapparatus 1A. For example, a user interface Ds shown in FIG. 9 may bedisplayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 and the magnification of theelectronic zoom may be set in the user interface Ds with the directionselection key 84 or the like.

The image pickup apparatus 1A may not necessarily adopt theconfiguration in which the magnification of the electronic zoom isvaried stepwise. Alternatively, an “ON” state or an “OFF” state of theelectronic zoom may be selected to switch between 1× magnification and apredetermined magnification (for example, 2× magnification). In thiscase, for example, the zoom-out button 22 may be removed and the zoom-inbutton 21 may be used as an electronic zoom switch button used forswitching between the “ON” state and the “OFF” state of the electroniczoom. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an exemplary operation of an imagepickup apparatus provided with such an electronic zoom switching button.

Referring to FIG. 10, in Step ST11, the image pickup apparatusdetermines whether the electronic zoom is in the active state.Specifically, the image pickup apparatus determines whether theelectronic zoom switching button is pressed to set the electronic zoomto the “ON” state. If the electronic zoom is in the active state, theoperation proceeds to Step ST12. If the electronic zoom is in theinactive state, the operation proceeds to Step ST13.

In Steps ST12, ST13, and ST14, the image pickup apparatus performs stepssimilar to Steps ST4, ST9, and ST10 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

The image pickup apparatus can perform the operation described above tomake the out-of focus in the subject image that is zoomed in by theelectronic zoom invisible and to perform the appropriate focus detectionin the phase difference detection.

Second Embodiment

Although an image pickup apparatus 1B according to a second embodimentof the present invention has an external configuration similar to thatof the image pickup apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image pickup apparatus1B according to the second embodiment differs from the image pickupapparatus 1A according to the first embodiment in the configuration of acontrolling unit in the functional configuration shown in FIG. 3.

Specifically, a program controlling the phase difference AF module 20differently from the first embodiment is stored in a controlling unit101B in the image pickup apparatus 1B. The control of the phasedifference AF module 20 in the image pickup apparatus 1B will now bedescribed in detail.

The image pickup apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment canvary the number of pixels in the detection sections in the criterionparts Pa and Pb in the phase difference AF module 20 in accordance withthe optical zoom magnification of the interchangeable lens 3 when theelectronic finder is used (in the live view display) or when the opticalfinder is used.

Specifically, the image pickup apparatus 1A according to the firstembodiment decreases the number of pixels in the detection sections inthe phase difference AF module 20 in order to make out-of focus in asubject image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 invisible whenthe subject image is zoomed in by the electronic zoom in the live viewdisplay. In contrast, the image pickup apparatus 1B according to thesecond embodiment decreases the number of pixels in the detectionsections in the phase difference AF module 20 because the mixture ofnear and far subjects can possibly occur when a subject image is zoomedout by the optical zoom. Such control of the phase difference AF module20 will now be described.

FIGS. 11 to 13 are diagrams for description of the mixture of near andfar subjects.

When an optical image of a subject relatively near the image pickupapparatus 1B (a near-side subject) is received in the criterion part Paand the reference part Pb in the phase difference AF module 20, forexample, optical images Da1 and Db1 shown in FIG. 11 are detected. Incontrast, when an optical image of a subject relatively far from theimage pickup apparatus 1B (a far-side subject) is received in thecriterion part Pa and the reference part Pb in the phase difference AFmodule 20, for example, optical images Da2 and Db2 shown in FIG. 12 aredetected.

In a state where both the near-side subject and the far-side subjectexist (in the state of mixture of near and far subjects), the opticalimages Da1 and Db1 shown in FIG. 11 are superimposed on the opticalimages Da2 and Db2 shown in FIG. 12 to produce optical images Da3 andDb3 shown by solid lines in FIG. 13.

When the focus detection is performed for the optical images Da1 and Db1shown in FIG. 11 and the optical images Da2 and Db2 shown in FIG. 12, itis possible to appropriately perform the correlation calculation in thephase difference AF even if the number of pixels in the detectionsections Ea and Eb set in the criterion parts Pa and Pb, respectively,is relatively large as in the example shown in FIG. 5 because theoptical images Da1 and Db1 have simple luminance distributions eachhaving only one characteristic portion Dc1 where the difference inluminance between the pixels is relatively large and the optical imagesDa2 and Db2 also have simple luminance distributions each having onlyone characteristic portion Dc2 where the difference in luminance betweenthe pixels is relatively large.

In contrast, in the optical images Da3 and Db3 in the state of mixtureof near and far subjects shown in FIG. 13, the positional relationshipbetween the characteristic portion Dc1 of the optical image Da1concerning the near-side subject and the characteristic portion Dc2 ofthe optical image Da2 concerning the far-side subject in the opticalimage Da3 is reversed with the positional relationship between thecharacteristic portion Dc1 of the optical image Db1 concerning thenear-side subject and the characteristic portion Dc2 of the opticalimage Db2 concerning the far-side subject in the optical image Db3. Whendetection sections Ef and Eg having a larger number of pixels are set inthe criterion parts Pa and Pb, respectively in such a state of mixtureof near and far subjects to perform the correlation calculation, adetection section Egm of the reference part Pb has the highestcorrelation with the detection section Ef of the criterion part Pa, asshown in FIG. 13. The phase difference AF by using the detection sectionEgm results in in-focus at a position between the near-side subject andthe far-side subject, thus undesirably performing the inappropriatefocus detection.

Accordingly, when the focus detection is performed in the state ofmixture of near and far subjects, the number of pixels in the detectionsections in the criterion parts Pa and Pb is decreased, as in the firstembodiment, in order to perform the focus detection for the near-sidesubject separately from the focus detection for the far-side subject.Such control of the phase difference AF module 20 will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 14.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for description of the control of the phasedifference AF module 20 in the image pickup apparatus 1B according tothe second embodiment.

The number of pixels in detection sections Eh and Ei in the criterionparts Pa and Pb, respectively, shown in FIG. 14 is smaller than that inthe detection sections Ef and Eg in the criterion parts Pa and Pb,respectively, shown in FIG. 13. Consequently, it is possible to detect adetection section Eia in the reference part Pb having the highestcorrelation with a detection section Eha in the criterion part Pareceiving the characteristic portion Dc2 in the luminance distributionconcerning the far-side subject and it is also possible to detect adetection section Eib in the reference part Pb having the highestcorrelation with a detection section Ehb in the criterion part Pareceiving the characteristic portion Dc1 in the luminance distributionconcerning the near-side subject. Since the focus detection for thenear-side subject can be performed separately from the focus detectionfor the far-side subject, it is possible to prevent in-focus at a pointbetween the near-side subject and the far-side subject. For example, thephase difference AF with priority given to the near-side subject allowsthe person (the near-side subject) to be appropriately focused onwithout being affected by the background (the far-side subject).

Such a state of mixture of near and far subjects has a higherpossibility of occurrence when the optical zoom magnification in theinterchangeable lens 3 is decreased. For example, when the electroniczoom in the live view display results in a too-large subject in adisplayed image Gc on the liquid crystal monitor 12, as shown in FIG.15A, the photographer generally decreases the optical zoom magnificationas an operation for fine tuning of the size of the subject. Thisoperation can result in the state of mixture of near and far subjects ina focus detection area J in the phase difference AF module 20, as shownin FIG. 15B. However, the detection sections having a decreased numberof pixels can be set to perform the focus detection for the near-sidesubject (a person) separately from the focus detection for the far-sidesubject (a mountain), thus enabling the appropriate phase difference AF.For example, focus detection areas Ja and Jb having lengths shorter thanthe length of the focus detection area J are set, as in the exampleshown in FIG. 15B.

An exemplary specific operation of the image pickup apparatus 1B inwhich the phase difference AF module 20 is controlled in the abovemanner will now be described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic operation of theimage pickup apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment. This basicoperation indicates an operation concerning the control of the phasedifference AF module 20 in accordance with the optical zoommagnification in the interchangeable lens 3 and is performed by thecontrolling unit 101B.

Referring to FIG. 16, in Step ST21, the controlling unit 101B determineswhether the zoom magnification concerning the optical zoom is not highera predetermined value. Specifically, the controlling unit 101Bcalculates the optical zoom magnification on the basis of informationabout the lens position detected by the lens position detector 39 in theinterchangeable lens 3 to determine whether the optical zoommagnification is not higher than a predetermined threshold value a. Ifthe optical zoom magnification is not higher than the predeterminedvalue, the operation proceeds to Step ST22. If the optical zoommagnification is higher than the predetermined value, the operationproceeds to Step ST28.

In Step ST22, the controlling unit 101B determines whether the zoommagnification concerning the optical zoom is decreased. For example, thecontrolling unit 101B determines whether the photographer operates theoperation collar of the interchangeable lens 3 to zoom out the subjectimage. If the zoom magnification is decreased, the operation proceeds toStep ST23. If the zoom magnification is not decreased, the operationproceeds to Step ST24.

In Step ST23, the controlling unit 101B decreases the number of pixelsin the detection sections Eh and Ei (FIG. 14) set in the criterion partsPa and Pb, respectively, in the phase difference AF module 20, as inStep ST4 in FIG. 8. In other words, the controlling unit 101B shortensthe section lengths of the detection sections Eh and Ei in accordancewith the decrease in the zoom magnification concerning the optical zoom.

In addition, the controlling unit 101B increases the count of shifts inthe detection sections Eh and Ei in the criterion parts Pa and Pb,respectively, in accordance with the decrease in the number of pixels inthe detection sections Eh and Ei in Step ST23. In other words, thecontrolling unit 101B increases the count of shifts in the detectionsections Eh and Ei in accordance with the zoom magnification concerningthe optical zoom.

In Step ST24, the controlling unit 101B determines whether the zoommagnification concerning the optical zoom is increased. For example, thecontrolling unit 101B determines whether the photographer operates theoperation collar of the interchangeable lens 3 to zoom in the subjectimage. If the zoom magnification is increased, the operation proceeds toStep ST25. If the zoom magnification is not increased, the operationproceeds to Step ST26.

In Steps ST25 to ST29, the controlling unit 101B performs steps similarto Steps ST6 to ST10 shown in FIG. 8.

The image pickup apparatus 1B decreases the number of pixels in thedetection sections Eh and Ei set in the criterion parts Pa and Pb,respectively, in the phase difference AF module 20 in response to thezoom-out by the optical zoom in the above manner, so that the focusdetection can be performed, for example, only for the near-side subjecteven if the mixture of near and far subjects can possibly occur in thefocus detection area. As a result, it is possible to perform theappropriate focus detection in accordance with the zoom state by theoptical zoom.

Modifications

The live view display may not necessarily be performed on the basis ofimage data sequentially acquired by the image pickup device 7 for thelive view display arranged in the manner shown in FIG. 4 in the aboveembodiments of the present invention. The live view display may beperformed on image data sequentially acquired by the image pickup device5 for the actual image capturing arranged above the primary mirror 61,as in an image pickup apparatus 1C shown in FIG. 17.

Alternatively, the primary mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 may be set tothe down state as in an example shown in FIG. 18A when the opticalfinder is used, and the primary mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 may beset to the up state as in an image pickup apparatus 1D shown in FIG. 18Bwhen the electronic finder is used to perform the live view display onthe basis of image data sequentially acquired by the image pickup device5 for the actual image capturing.

The image pickup apparatus 1C shown in FIG. 17 and the image pickupapparatus 1D shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B have a functional configurationshown in FIG. 19 in which the image pickup device 7 is removed from theconfiguration shown in FIG. 3.

Also in the image pickup apparatus 1C and the image pickup apparatus 1Dhaving the configuration shown in FIG. 19, when the electronic zoom isused in the live view display or when the zoom magnification concerningthe optical zoom is varied, the phase difference AF module 20 can becontrolled in the same manner as in the above embodiments to perform theappropriate focus detection.

The lens group 37 in the interchangeable lens 3 may not necessarily bedriven by the lens driver 38 (FIG. 3) including the actuator in theabove embodiments. The lens group 37 may be driven by a mechanicaldriver 48 including an actuator in the camera body 2 via a lens driver38A, as in an image pickup apparatus 1E shown in FIG. 20.

The luminance distribution of the optical image Da detected whileshifting the detection section Ec in the criterion part Pa by one pixelmay not necessarily be compared with the luminance distribution of theoptical image Db detected while shifting the detection section Ed in thecriterion part Pb by one pixel, as shown in FIG. 6, in the aboveembodiments. The luminance distribution of the optical image Da detectedin the fixed detection section Ec in the criterion part Pa may becompared with the luminance distribution of the optical image Dbdetected while shifting the detection section Ed in the criterion partPb by one pixel. For example, the characteristic portion Dc (FIG. 6) ofthe optical image Da is detected on the basis of the luminancedistribution of the optical image Da of the subject detected in therelatively large detection section Ea shown in FIG. 5 before activatingthe electronic zoom, and only the detection section Ecm (FIG. 6)including the detected characteristic portion Dc is set in the criterionpart Pa after activating the electronic zoom. Then, the luminancedistribution of the optical image Da detected in the detection sectionEcm is compared with the luminance distribution of the optical image Dbdetected while shifting the detection section Ed in the reference partPb by one pixel. This method can increase the speed of the focusdetection.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an imaging optical systemcapable of varying a zoom magnification concerning optical zoom;detecting means for performing focus detection in phase differencedetection; focusing means for performing focus control of a lens in theimaging optical system on the basis of the result of the focus detectionby the detecting means; and imaging means capable of generating an imagesignal concerning an optical image of a subject, received through theimaging optical system in which the focus control of the lens isperformed, wherein the detecting means includes a sensor unit includinga first licensor and a second licensor in which pixels are arranged;setting means for setting detection sections having the same sectionlength in the first licensor and the second licensor; focus detectingmeans for performing the focus detection in the phase differencedetection on the basis of an optical image of the subject detected ineach detection section set in the first licensor and the secondlicensor; and section length controlling means for decreasing thesection length of the detection section in accordance with a decrease inthe zoom magnification.
 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim1, wherein the setting means includes shifting means for sequentiallyshifting the set position of the detection section in the first licensorand/or the second licensor, and wherein the detecting means includesmeans for increasing the count of shifts by the shifting means inaccordance with a decrease in the zoom magnification.
 3. An image pickupapparatus comprising: an imaging optical system capable of varying azoom magnification concerning optical zoom; a detecting unit configuredto perform focus detection in phase difference detection; a focusingunit configured to perform focus control of a lens in the imagingoptical system on the basis of the result of the focus detection by thedetecting unit; and an imaging unit capable of generating an imagesignal concerning an optical image of a subject, received through theimaging optical system in which the focus control of the lens isperformed, wherein the detecting unit includes a sensor unit including afirst licensor and a second licensor in which pixels are arranged; asetting unit that sets detection sections having the same section lengthin the first licensor and the second licensor; a focus detecting unitthat performs the focus detection in the phase difference detection onthe basis of an optical image of the subject detected in each detectionsection set in the first licensor and the second licensor; and a sectionlength controlling unit that decreases the section length of thedetection section in accordance with a decrease in the zoommagnification.